The Goldshire Footman was a neutral basic card that had dropped by chance while Aige was killing monsters. It cost one mana, had one attack and two health, and came with Taunt, which forced enemies to attack the Goldshire Footman first. It was a tank minion!
In the game, this basic card did not see much play and rarely appeared in high-level decks. With one mana, one attack, and two health, it looked every bit like a poor little weakling! Honestly, though, it was still useful during the initial beginner period. Taunt earned it some points, and although its stats were a little poor, it was barely usable. Once a player had opened more card packs, however, all sorts of high-quality one-mana cards could easily crowd it out of a deck with room for only thirty cards...
For Aige, though, this card was pretty good. Since he could only unlock one-mana cards before level ten, the Goldshire Footman could work with his Lesser Heal to serve as a competent tank. Its one-star attack could also provide decent damage, making it a thoroughly standard, practical card.
Another card that had dropped by chance while he was killing monsters was the Northshire sister he had recruited before. Although she was a basic Priest card, Aige thought it would not have been excessive to classify her as a blue card... The Northshire b*tch had earned her reputation! Uh! Forgive him, forgive him. He had said he would not call her that!
The last card was the quest reward the system had drawn for him after he completed the quest to completely eliminate the threat to the vineyard. It was also the first real spell card of his career in Azeroth...
He said that because the damned Mind Vision was technically a spell card, but its actual effect was to summon a recruit. So the great master had simply classified it as a minion card: same thing, different name!
This one, however, was Inner Fire, an excellent white Priest spell card that cost one mana. Spell cards did not have the usual three stats, but they did have their own unique spell effects.
In the game, Inner Fire awakened a minion's potential, making its attack equal to its current health. Take the Goldshire Footman, for example: with one attack and two health, using Inner Fire on him would make him a minion with two attack and two health, since his health was two. Not impressive, right?
But what about an Oasis Snapjaw with two attack and seven health? It would become a monster with seven attack and seven health!
And what if it were a minion with zero attack and sixteen health? It would turn straight into a giant monster with sixteen attack and sixteen health, a creature so enormous it shook with every move... Even Deathwing would have to step aside!
For Priests, this was a super card that could create infinite possibilities. Many Priests liked to build decks centered on Inner Fire and enjoy the thrill of killing their opponents in a single turn! Such decks were strong, but they depended heavily on luck and required many combos. If luck was bad and the key cards did not come to hand, death was the only outcome. As a result, their performance in actual play was not very good, and Inner Fire Priests were rarely encountered on the ranked ladder... But that still could not stop many Priests from rushing in like moths to a flame, creating legends of their own in all sorts of casual matches!
There had once been a screenshot from a casual match between friends in which a super invincible monster with an attack value over fourteen digits long had been created using Lorewalker Cho's ability to copy spell cards... Anyone with time to spare could try it out (the key cards were Lorewalker Cho, Divine Spirit, and Inner Fire).
Now, when Young Master Aige saw this card, his whole body trembled. As a die-hard Priest fan, seeing Inner Fire was like seeing the future...
Unfortunately, reality was always cruel. How could such a heaven-defying card survive the laws of Azeroth? If someone could really create a minion with more than ten-star attack at will, the state of the Azeroth Continent would truly be cause for concern... This was not a game, so the laws of the world had to be obeyed!
Inner Fire was an excellent white Priest spell card. Its effect was to designate a minion and make its attack equal to its current health, but the attack bonus gained from the effect could not exceed five stars. Moreover, the minion's resulting attack could not exceed ten stars. Because Inner Fire was a one-mana card, this effect could last for no more than one day!
Despite all those restrictions, its practical value as an excellent card could not be denied. If he had a minion whose attack and health were uneven, such as an Oasis Snapjaw with two attack and seven health, he could still create a monster with seven attack and seven health under those rules. It was worth having!... What a pity! The great master Aige really was a little unwilling to accept it! These two restrictions were like two tight shackles, strangling those infinite possibilities!
After a period of preparation, he now held one spell card and four minion cards, including the Leper Gnome and Angry Chicken. Two wisps had already been summoned, and his 112 Arcane Dust could provide him with six ordinary cards or three excellent white cards at any time. He was ready for a fight!
"Uncle, why were you in such a hurry to see me?"
"There's no hurry now! You've been holed up at the vineyard for over a month. I know you two are newlyweds, but you're the most talented young man I've ever seen. In these turbulent times, you shouldn't spend the rest of your life in your cozy little love nest. You should have greater prospects..."
Aige waved a hand, cutting off Claude's long speech. "I know. That's why I'm here now!"
Claude was taken aback! That was right. Without that awareness, the young man would have had no reason to answer his summons. He was not a soldier, but a free combat professional...
"Good! Then I'll get straight to the point! Things are unsettled in Elwynn Forest right now, and warriors are being called away from everywhere. The fighting strength at my outpost is stretched thin too. My direct superior, Marshal Paul of Goldshire, needs me to recommend a few warriors to report to him and help him deal with some situations! You know..."
"I know. You just said it: you're short-handed!"
"That's right!" Claude gave an embarrassed chuckle. "They're pressing me for people, so I thought of you! Your fighting strength is clearly above that of an ordinary warrior. You can easily do the work of two. I've already written a letter recommending you to Paul. Do me a favor, will you? I did give you a hand once, after all!"
Aige had long understood that completing quests could make him stronger and was better than grinding monsters alone, so of course he would not refuse. "All right! I'll help you this once! But you have to promise me that if Milly has any trouble, you'll help look after her. Thank you!"
He saluted the captain respectfully, and Claude returned the salute just as solemnly. There was no spoken promise, but the look in the man's eyes showed that Claude would do his best to look after her...
Goldshire lay in the middle of Elwynn Forest, a considerable distance from Northshire. With a quest to carry out, Aige did not delay. He borrowed a military horse from the outpost and headed there along the broad road...
Honestly, he was a little unwilling to leave! He had originally wanted to wait until he had taken revenge before departing. But circumstances had changed, and he had to alter his original plan. Besides, he had not yet reached his intended level ten, and seeking revenge against his opponents at tier one would be highly unwise... So he would wait until he reached tier two before properly settling the score with them. For now, he would let them enjoy themselves a little longer!
Traveling on a military horse naturally made the journey faster. Unfortunately, the horse belonged to the army and had its brand on its hindquarters. He would have to return it to the local troops when he reached Goldshire, so Young Master Aige could forget about making off with it! The only benefit was that the system notified him that he had automatically learned riding!
Not the cavalry kind, but the most basic riding skill! Someone who could ride a horse was not necessarily a knight, but at most an infantryman who could ride. As for the great master Aige, he was a mage who could ride... That was all!
Only if he were willing to spend considerable effort training and getting used to a warhorse might he be able to change classes to a knight, one who could fight on horseback. But that clearly did not suit his current circumstances, so he could only think about it at most!
After traveling day and night for two days and two nights, he was not far from his destination. Aige was maintaining a meditative state and taking every opportunity to refine his mana on horseback when he suddenly heard the sounds of fighting in the distance... Was something happening?
Yes! He soon confirmed that something was indeed happening!
With a clatter of hooves, he brought the horse to a stop and quickly tied its reins to a large tree beside the road. Following the sound of clashing blades, he made his way to the scene...
A human warrior in light armor and a full-coverage helmet, wielding a sword and shield, was fighting off six murlocs. Although each murloc was weaker than the warrior, they had numbers on their side and knew a little about working together. The warrior was struggling to fend them off, and his life was hanging by a thread...
Of the six murlocs, two were already badly wounded and the others had minor injuries, but they fought fearlessly and refused to withdraw even when severely wounded. They meant to kill their enemy in this battle. Their fierce assault made these murlocs, armed with nothing but simple spears and knives, look extremely ferocious! Although most of their attacks were stopped by the warrior's armor, they had added up to a heavy blow against the human warrior...
Goldshire was still far away, and he could not get help. He would probably die here in service to his country!
The warrior was not afraid of dying! But he was deeply unwilling to accept it. None of the murlocs was stronger than him, yet he was about to die a frustrating death under their combined assault.
Murlocs were social, demihuman creatures with rudimentary intelligence, and they liked to fight in groups! They could be considered an amphibious race, able to live on land or remain in the water for long periods. Generally, though, they preferred to stay on beaches. These creatures were extremely territorial, and anyone who accidentally entered their territory would usually be attacked by all the murlocs nearby...
Most frightening of all, murlocs were classic omnivores! They ate anything!
Well, humans were omnivores too! So they were even more frightening than murlocs...
Murlocs had no dietary restrictions. Although they most often ate fish and shellfish, they would certainly not object if a human offered them an extra meal! That would give them something for their evening bonfire party...